Praise is the direct address of God that lets him know we recognize him for who he is, what he has done, and what he is doing. But more than informing God of his greatness, praise is rejoicing before him in his greatness and recognizing that not only is his grace without comparison, his majesty and might and holiness and faithfulness and righteousness and mercy and love and forgiveness and justice and... without comparison. God is God and praise is thankful celebration that he is God, and even more importantly, that he is our God.
Day 27 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Bashans, may God make it always received, year after year, with reassurance and tranquility, while our sins after forgiven by the tender mercies of our God my fathers and brothers.
Amen.
The Twenty-Seventh Day of the Blessed Month of Bashans
Departure of Pope Youannis the Second, the 30th Patriarch of the See of St.Mark
On this day of the year 232 A.M. (May 22nd., 516 A.D.), the saint Pope Youannis the second, the 30th. Patriarch of Alexandria, departed. He was a monk since his youth, and lived a solitary life. His reputation, because of his godly life spread everywhere, and was chosen a patriarch of the great city of Alexandria on the third of Baounah, 221 A.M. (May 29th., 505 A.D.). He wrote the biographies of the saints and sermons. The church lived in peace and tranquility at the time of the Orthodox Emperor Anastasius. St. Sawirus was the patriarch of Antioch, and he wrote a message to Pope Youannis on the one nature of Christ saying: "Jesus Christ after the union with flesh has become of one nature with one Will without separation, and I believe in the same faith of Pope Cyril and Pope Dioscorus." When Pope Youannis received this message, he was pleased, and he replied with a message filled with faith that testified to the union of the essence of God, and the trinity of His characters, and by the incarnation of the eternal Son of God, the Divine and the human nature have become one and no longer two natures, without separation, mingling, or confusion. He anathematized those who separate the two natures, those who confuse them and those who said that the suffering crucified Christ was only a man, and those who say that His Divine nature also suffered and died. He said that the Orthodox faith was to profess that God the word suffered by the flesh that united with. When Abba Sawiris read his message, he received it with joy, and made it public in all Antioch. This Pope continued to take care about his people for 10 years, 10 months, and 23 days, and he departed.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of Lazarus the beloved of the Lord
On this day also, St. Lazarus, the brother of mary and Martha, and the beloved of the Lord, departed after he had become the bishop of Cyprus. After he had been raised from the dead by Our Lord, he followed the disciples. After the pentecost, they ordained him a bishop over Cyprus. He lived for forty years, and departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us, and glory be to God forever. Amen.
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 51 : 10
Chapter 51
| 10 | Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. |
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Vespers Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Luke 22 : 53 - 71
Chapter 22
| 53 | When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." |
| 54 | Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed at a distance. |
| 55 | Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. |
| 56 | And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him." |
| 57 | But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." |
| 58 | And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" |
| 59 | Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean." |
| 60 | But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. |
| 61 | And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." |
| 62 | So Peter went out and wept bitterly. |
| 63 | Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. |
| 64 | And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?" |
| 65 | And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him. |
| 66 | As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, |
| 67 | "If You are the Christ, tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe. |
| 68 | And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. |
| 69 | Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God." |
| 70 | Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God?" So He said to them, "You rightly say that I am." |
| 71 | And they said, "What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 112 : 4
Chapter 112
| 4 | Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. |
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Matins Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Luke 10 : 21 - 24
Chapter 10
| 21 | In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. |
| 22 | All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." |
| 23 | Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; |
| 24 | for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Liturgy Gospel
Paulines Epistle
Paul, the servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, appointed to the Gospel of God.
A reading from the Epistle of our teacher Paul to the Ephesians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Ephesians 4 : 8 - 16
Chapter 4
| 8 | Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." |
| 9 | (Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? |
| 10 | He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) |
| 11 | And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, |
| 12 | for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, |
| 13 | till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; |
| 14 | that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, |
| 15 | but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- |
| 16 | from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. Peter .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 Peter 5 : 5 - 12
Chapter 5
| 5 | Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." |
| 6 | Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, |
| 7 | casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. |
| 8 | Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. |
| 9 | Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. |
| 10 | But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. |
| 11 | To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. |
| 12 | By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. |
Do not love the world or the things in the world.
The world passes away, and its desires; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Amen.
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.
Acts 24 : 10 - 21
Chapter 24
| 10 | Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: "Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself, |
| 11 | because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. |
| 12 | And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city. |
| 13 | Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me. |
| 14 | But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. |
| 15 | I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. |
| 16 | This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. |
| 17 | "Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, |
| 18 | in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult. |
| 19 | They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me. |
| 20 | Or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council, |
| 21 | unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, "Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day."' |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Divine Psalm
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet, and the Good King.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 136 : 1 - 2
Chapter 136
| 1 | Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. |
| 2 | Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. |
Hallelujah.
Divine Gospel
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
John 16 : 15 - 23
Chapter 16
| 15 | All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. |
| 16 | "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father." |
| 17 | Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, "because I go to the Father'?" |
| 18 | They said therefore, "What is this that He says, "A little while'? We do not know what He is saying." |
| 19 | Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'? |
| 20 | Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. |
| 21 | A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. |
| 22 | Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. |
| 23 | "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. |
And Glory be to God forever.
It is on this account that the apostle says, The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:6 He, then, who lawfully uses the law learns therein evil and good, and, not trusting in his own strength, flees to grace, by the help of which he may shun evil and do good. But who is there who flees to grace except when the steps of a man are ordered by the Lord, and He shall determine his way
?